Article I. Name and Purpose

The name of this organization shall be the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, Division 10 of the American Psychological Association.

The purpose of the Society shall be (a) to promote research and publication in the field of the psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts; (b) to facilitate the exchange of information and experience among its members; (c) to promote the development of new professional opportunities; and (d) to contribute in general to the advancement of the relation between psychology and the arts as a means of promoting human welfare.

Article II. Membership

The Society shall have five classes of membership: Fellows, Members, Members-At-Large, Associates, and Student Affiliates.

Fellows shall be those persons who qualify for Fellowship status in the American Psychological Association and have made an unusual contribution to the field of aesthetics, creativity, or psychology of the arts.

Members shall be those persons who are also Members of the American Psychological Association and are seriously interested in the field of aesthetics, creativity, or psychology of the arts.

Members-At-Large shall be persons who, by reason of their competence in fields bearing upon the central interests of the Society, wish to aid the Society in the attainment of its objectives, but who do not hold membership in the American Psychological Association.

Associate members shall be persons who meet the requirements of the American Psychological Association for Associate Member status and are seriously interested in the field of aesthetics, creativity, or psychology of the arts.

Student Affiliate members shall be persons who are seriously interested in the field of aesthetics, creativity, or the psychology of the arts and who are enrolled in a related degree program at the undergraduate or graduate level.

Nominations or applications for all classes of membership should be referred to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Society. The nomination or application blank must contain information concerning the candidate’s educational and professional history, and be accompanied by such endorsements as shall be prescribed by the Executive Committee of the Society.

Members in all five classes shall be determined, subject to American Psychological Association requirements, by a majority vote of the Fellows, Members, and Members-At-Large among the Society members.

The Secretary of the Society, directly or through the APA Central Office, shall notify new members of their election immediately after the Annual Meeting.

Any member may be expelled from the Society for cause by a two-thirds vote, taken by secret ballot of members present and voting at an Annual meeting. Such vote shall be taken only upon recommendation by a special committee of three members to be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Society to investigate the particular case. The committee’s recommendation is to be submitted (a) only after it has accumulated the relevant facts and has given the accused member an opportunity to answer the charges against him/ her both in writing and by appearing in person before the committee, and (b) after the committee’s recommendation has been reviewed and approved by a majority vote, taken by secret ballot, of the Executive Committee of the Society.

On all matters calling for action of the Society by the membership each American Psychological Association member and each member-at-large shall have one vote, and no proxy voting shall be allowed. The one exception to this is that the elected Representatives of the Society on the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association shall be Members of the American Psychological Association and shall be chosen by and only by the members of the Society who are also Members of the Association.

Article III. Society Officers

The officers of the organization shall be a Society President, a Society President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and one or more Representatives to the Council of Representatives, as provided for in Article V of the Bylaws of the American Psychological Association.

The Representatives of the Society on the APA Council of Representatives shall be APA Members and shall be elected by the Society members entitled to vote.

The terms of office for the President shall be for two years, and for Society Representatives, Secretary, and- Treasurer, three years.

It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings, to serve ex-officio as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Society, and to act for the Society with the approval of the Executive Committee. The President shall perform other duties as are incident to his or her office or as may properly be required by vote of the Executive Committee.

It shall be the duty of the Secretary to issue calls and notices of meetings and nominations of officers and members-at-large of the Executive Committee, or to arrange with the APA Central Office for the issuing of such announcements. The Secretary shall keep records of the Society and cooperate with the Executive Secretary of the APA. The Secretary shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee and ex-officio as a member of the Committee on Nominations and Membership as well as the Program Committee. It shall also be his or her function to provide information to members and to other interested parties on Society matters.

The Treasurer will have custody of all funds and property of the Society and shall collect any special dues that may be voted in accordance with Article VIII, Section 1 of these Bylaws. The Treasurer shall be authorized to make disbursements for the Society, except that for amounts larger than $250.00 authorization of the Executive Committee is required. The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee.

It shall be the duty of the Society Representatives to perform the duties and responsibilities specified in Article III of the Bylaws of the American Psychological Association. The Representatives shall also serve as members of the Society Executive Committee.

In case of the death, incapacity, or resignation of any of these officers (excepting the President) the President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint a successor to serve until the next Annual Meeting. If the President is unable to perform any or all of his or her duties, the President-Elect shall take the President’s place until he or she takes office.

Article IV. Executive Committee

There shall be an Executive Committee of the Society consisting of the Society President, the Society President-elect, the Society Past President, the Secretary and- Treasurer of the Society, the Representatives on the Council of Representatives of the Association, three members-at-large, an elected student representative to the Executive Committee , an elected international representative to the Executive Committee, and the journal editor(s) (who shall serve on the Executive Committee without vote).

Although all members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the Society membership for terms specified elsewhere (see Article III. this document), the student representative shall be limited to a term of one year, in order to encourage involvement of students across their years in graduate training.

The members-at-large shall serve for terms of three years each.

The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Society, performing the duties and abiding by the limitations specified in these Bylaws. Actions of the Committee affecting Society policy are subject to approval by a majority vote of the members voting at an Annual Meeting or by special mail ballot.

The President of the Society shall be presiding officer at all meetings of the Executive Committee, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall be the secretary of the Committee.

The journal editor(s) shall be a selected by vote of the Executive Committee from nominations solicited from the Society membership. The journal editor(s) shall serve a six year term.

Article V. Other Committees

The Committees of the Society shall consist of the following standing committees: Awards, Fellows, Membership Recruitment, New Member and Student Involvement, Nominations/Elections, Publications, and the Program Committee. Special ad hoc committees may be established by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.

Committees shall serve for the term of the Society President unless otherwise provided for. All Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the President.

The chair of the Nominations and Elections committee shall be a past or present member of the Executive Committee and shall be asked by the President to chair the Committee. In addition, the Secretary shall be an ex-officio member of the committee. It shall be the function of this Committee to conduct and supervise the mail elections of the Society as provided in Article VI of these Bylaws. The Committee shall also receive applications for membership, examine the credentials submitted, and make recommendations, accompanied by the necessary data regarding each applicant in accordance with requirements set forth in Article II of these Bylaws. These recommendations shall be made to the membership at the annual business meeting. The Committee shall also examine the qualifications of Members to become Fellows of the APA and shall recommend to the APA Membership Committee those members who meet the Fellowship requirement.

The Program Committee shall consist of the President-elect of the Society as chair and of three members of the Society appointed by him/her. In addition, the President may choose further members of the Society to assist the Committee in the preparation of the program for the next annual meeting. It shall be the duty of the Program Chair to make arrangements for the Program and the Annual Business Meeting of the Society in accordance with the provision of Article VII of these Bylaws and to coordinate the program with the assistance of the APA Convention Office.

Article VI. Nominations and Elections

The officers of the Society and the members-at-large of the Executive Committee shall be nominated by the Committee on Nominations and Membership.

The Committee on Nominations and Membership shall ascertain from as many candidates as are required to fill the slate their willingness to serve and forward these nominations to the APA Election Committee on forms provided by the Election Office at the time necessary for inclusion on the election ballot issued by the Association in accordance with Article X, Section 2 of the APA Bylaws.

At least two nominees shall be named for the office of Society President-elect (or President). For each other office there shall be at least twice as many nominees as there are persons to be elected.

The preferential count of the votes for each office shall be obtained by the Society Secretary from the Election Committee of the Association, and these counts shall be referred to the Society Election Committee which shall announce the election results at the annual business meeting of the Society.

Officers shall assume office on the first day following the close of the annual business meeting at which their election is announced and shall hold office until their successors are elected and assume office in their stead. If an officer fails to accept election, the place shall be filled by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.

Article VII. Meetings

The Annual Meeting of the Society shall take place during the annual convention of the Association, and in the same locality, for the transaction of business, the presentation of scientific papers, and the discussion of professional matters in the field of the Society’s interests. The Society shall seek to co-ordinate its program with, and participate in, the program of the Association.

Members entitled to vote and present at the Business Meeting of the Society shall vote by simple majority; but it shall be the prerogative of the presiding officer to table a motion if in his or her judgment does not do justice to the importance of the matter to be decided.

Article VIII. Dues

Changes in annual dues and assessments of any special dues shall be recommended by the Executive Committee and shall be decided by a majority vote of those present and entitled to vote at an Annual meeting or by mail ballot of the voting members.

Membership dues as established by the Society Executive Committee will be paid to the Society by APA out of the member’s annual subscription to APA.

Article IX. Amendments

By vote of two thirds of the voting members present at any Annual Meeting or by a majority vote of the members of the Society voting in a mail ballot, the Society may adopt such amendments to these Bylaws as have been (a) presented at the preceding annual meeting or (b) mailed to the last known post office address of each member or published in the journal of the Society two months prior to the final vote on the proposed amendments.

Article X. Journal

A journal, called Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, shall be published four times a year. Subscription to that journal is included in all categories of paid membership in Division 10. The journal shall contain scholarly articles, reviews, information pertinent to the Society, and other materials deemed appropriate by the editors and editorial board.

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About Division 10

The Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (Division 10 of the American Psychological Association) is committed to interdisciplinary scholarship, both theoretical and empirical, encompassing the visual, literary, and performing arts.